I Need You
by tiara733
Summary: Future Castle/Beckett One-Shot. Castle's leaving, will Beckett be able to convince him to stay?


**I Need You**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show Castle, just borrowing the characters! :)**

**A/N: This is my first piece of fanfiction ever!!! I have read a TON of fics and finally decided to give it a shot. Please, please, PLEASE leave a comment! Even if it's just a few words, please tell me if you like it or not and why. Thanks for reading! :D**

Castle/Beckett one-shot. Set in the future, a year after Castle starts shadowing Beckett. Might be a little OOC, but this is how I picture them in a year.

Detective Kate Beckett drove through the familiar streets of New York towards the police precinct, ready for another day of work. She was one of the few people who actually enjoyed their job, as was thankful for it. Being a cop was hard work and occasionally she was put in situations where her life was on the line, but the satisfaction of catching the bad guys was worth the risk. The thrill of the chase and the self-fulfillment from ridding the streets of New York of criminals and murderers made the job worthwhile.

Along with the exciting cases, Beckett also had a "shadow" – Richard Castle. Although he was a pain in the beginning, Beckett had grown to enjoy his presence. They constantly bickered, but she secretly enjoyed their playful squabbles and banter. He was also very helpful in solving the cases that she worked on. His observant eye and logical mind proved to be an asset to Beckett. They made quite the team, Castle and Beckett. And though she would _never_ admit this, Beckett secretly liked him. Her love life had been uneventful in the past, and her previous boyfriends were usually intimidated by a woman with a gun or displeased with her need to be a control freak. Castle was an equal to her, neither intimidated nor willing to yield to her control. He was different in many ways. Behind his arrogant and cocky exterior, Castle was a compassionate man with a desire for the story behind everything and the ability to read her like an open book. Castle was able to scrutinize every aspect of her life and he was one of the few people that Beckett opened up to. She told him the emotional story behind the death of her mother and the reason she became a cop. He also makes light of even the most serious situations, and is able to bring a smile to her mouth with his witty remarks.

Castle and Beckett also had a few things in common. They both liked to irritate and annoy each other in any way possible. He brought out the more wild or childish side in her, which livened up her life. Also, they both were observant and keen which made them great partners. Their two minds pitted against even the most confusing case were able to solve numerous crimes, much to the delight of the department. Another similarity between Castle and Beckett is their passion for solving crimes. They both had a taste for the "freaky ones," even if their reasons differed. Castle was all for the story behind the crime – why those people, why those murders. Beckett, on the other hand, was in it for the justice. Bringing peace of mind to the family of the victim and serving justice to the wrong-doer was satisfaction in itself for Beckett. The "freaky ones" also posed as a challenge to both Castle and Beckett, and they loved to think outside the box to solve stumping cases.

They had been through a lot together the past year, from racing in high speed car chases, to engaging in fierce shootings with criminals, to apprehending criminals with a hostage at hand (Castle being the hostage in their first case together). Beckett no longer considered Castle as her shadow, more of a partner at this point in their path. They had grown on each other, and she started depending on Castle more than seeing him as an annoyance during her work.

The relationship between Castle and Beckett stood strictly work-related, despite his copious attempts of hitting on her at any chance he got. Beckett gathered that he liked her more than a partner from his reaction to her dramatic entrance during the reading of his book "Storm Fall." He gawked at her girly outfit – a hot pink dress and black heels. She relished the effect that she had on him in that moment. Beckett would never admit to this, but she liked Castle too, more than a partner. She never had a connection with another person as she had with Castle. He knew her better than most; Castle knew when he could light-heartedly joke with her and when to back off and give her space. In an effort to conceal her mushy feelings for Castle, Beckett denies them and passes them off by pretending that she is still vexed by his presence, and he is nothing more than a nuisance. Beckett would sooner quit her job, which she loved, than admit to liking the egotistical and self-centered Richard Castle.

Beckett strode through the halls of her department towards her desk, where she expected to be greeted by an eager and energized Castle with her morning latte, anxious for the next case. She wasn't met by Castle and her morning coffee though, which came as a surprise to her. This was their morning routine – Castle brought her a steaming cup of coffee from the latte machine, and Beckett brought him a new case for them to crack. But instead of their falling into their morning cycle, Castle, with her usual coffee, was conversing with the Chief. She looked over some paper work as Castle finished his conversation with a handshake and a pat on the back from the Chief. He walked over to her desk and handed the latte to her.

"Thanks" she said, taking the coffee from Castle's hand and gulping down a generous mouthful.

"I have some news for you" Castle said.

"Good or bad news?" Beckett eyed him curiously.

"That depends on how you take it. You'll probably be happy though."

"Ok… shoot."

"I'm done."

"Done?"

"With my research. This whole 'shadowing' you was all research for my Nikki Heat series, remember? And I think I have gathered enough information in this last year, so I'm done. That and my legal forms from last year have expired. The chief offered me to stay longer, but I figured that I have overstayed my welcome anyways."

"So you're just… leaving?" Beckett asked, shocked.

"Yep. I'm going to pack up my stuff today, and I'll be out of your hair by this afternoon."

"Oh…" She knew that the shadowing/partner thing was temporary, but Beckett had gotten used to Castle's presence and help in the cases.

"Today's a slow day," Beckett said. "Why don't I help you gather your belongings?"

"Thanks, that would be great" he replied.

Beckett started gathering up his items which included pages of notes about the cases they worked on, how the department works, and of course, notes on her personality. She came across a sheet dated March 9, 2009, a year from today. The paper had scribblings of his first impressions of her. Curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to read what he wrote.

_Detective Kate Beckett_

_Very serious, likes to be in control of everything._

_Bossy, which keeps everyone in line._

_Her eyebrow furrows when she's concentrating._

_Dedicated to her work and bringing justice to criminals._

She smiled at his chicken-scratch handwriting. A little while later, Castle had finished gathering up his possessions and was getting ready to leave.

"So this is it." Beckett said.

"Yea. I guess its goodbye for real this time. We can still keep in touch. I can be a consult for your cases any time you need it."

"That would be good."

"It has been a pleasure working with you, Detective Beckett." Castle said, leaning in and placing a light kiss on her cheek. With that, he turned around and sauntered out of the building, disappearing out of her sight.

Beckett sat down on her desk. Indeed, today was a slow day. There were no new cases to work on, and all she had was paperwork to do. She worked in silence for a few moments and felt weird. Silence was rare with Castle around. Conversation never ceased to flow when they were together. Beckett had become accustomed to his constant talking, as he would often inform her of random trivia or bicker with her on any topic. The silence was disconcerting. Beckett tried in vain to concentrate on her tedious paperwork, but with no success. She could not stop thinking of Castle.

Everything around her reminded her of Castle. The now cold cup of coffee on her desk, the latte machine that he bought for the department, the digital murder board he had given them to replace their old one, and even the autographed copy of "Storm Fall" in her desk drawer that he presented to her to commemorate their early partnership all reminded her of Castle.

"Missing writer boy already?" Esposito asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"What? No." she replied.

"Sure…" he replied sarcastically. "They why do you look like you're lost without your other half?"

"I'm not _lost_. It just feels weird not having him around bothering me all the time."

"Uh huh." He said thoughtfully. "Look, if you want him back, just convince him to stay."

"Thanks for the advice, but I don't need him."

"Oh come on. Everyone here knows that you two make the best partners. You guys solved more cases this past year than anyone else in the department."

"I am fully capable of solving those cases by myself. I don't need him." Beckett retorted defensively.

"Okay, okay." Esposito said, backing away. "Suit yourself."

Beckett shook her head and turned her attention back to the paperwork she had at hand. She thought about what Esposito said. Having Castle around wasn't so bad, and she had to admit, she did miss him a little bit. Beckett pondered on whether or not she should convince Castle to stay. She decided to stop by his place after work and talk to him.

It was nearly 1:00 AM when Beckett left the precinct. She had become engrossed in a new case that had suddenly come in and she could not figure it out, which annoyed her. It did serve to preoccupy her thoughts for most of the day though. Beckett couldn't help but think that she could have solved the case or could have made more progress if she had Castle's help. Then she remembered that she was going to talk to him about staying. She looked at her watch, 12:54 AM. _He's probably still up, _she thought to herself. Beckett decided to stop by his place despite the time.

Castle sat restlessly on the couch in his home office. He had been working the whole day on his newest Nikki Heat book, "In Heat." After knitting together the plot and writing for hours, he was bored of his work. The clock on his desk read 1:22 AM. _Whoa, how did it get so late so fast?_ Castle thought. Just then, he heard the buzz of the doorbell to his apartment. _Who could be stopping by so late?_ He wondered as he got up to answer the door.

Castle opened the door to reveal none other than Detective Kate Beckett, looking as beautiful as ever, undeterred by the late hour.

"Beckett?" Castle questioned her late-night appearance.

"I'm sorry for dropping by at such an ungodly hour." She quickly apologized.

"It's ok" he reassured her. "What did you need?"

"I um…" she was unsure of what to say. "You should stay." She blurted out.

"Stay?"

"At the precinct. Working with us. Everyone thinks you should stay."

"Well, I don't want to be a bother. You always said I was an annoying nuisance."

"It's ok. I can tolerate it."

"And I want to focus more on my Nikki Heat series anyways. The first book is about to be launched and I think my fans are going to love her more than Derek Storm. You guys don't need me."

"We do need you. We make a great team, I can't deny that. Statistics don't lie. We solved more cases, even cold cases too, and figured out more crimes together than anyone else in the department, and the Chief was very happy with that."

"I'm going to need more convincing than just statistics to stay. Besides, you're more than capable of handling the cases by yourself. There's no reason for me to stay if _you_ don't need me."

"I never said I didn't need you."

"Oh, so you _do_ need me?"

"I never said that I did either." Beckett replied.

"So do you need me or not?" Castle questioned.

Beckett thought silently for a moment. Before Castle came along, she worked solely by herself. The thought of having a partner never even crossed her mind. She was always seen as a lone rider and worked quite efficiently by herself. Being a strong leader, Beckett believed that relying on other people was a sign of weakness. "Needing people makes you weak." She said quietly. Beckett averted her gaze as her voice trailed off into a whisper.

"It doesn't mean you're weak, it means you're just human. Now tell me Detective Beckett, do _you _need me?"

"Yes," she sighed. "I do need you."

"Good" Castle smiled, satisfied with her admittance. "I was planning on staying anyways."

"What?" Beckett said, confused.

"I wasn't going to leave. Solving cases with you is just too much fun to give up."

"Then what was that… at the office and just now?"

"Well, I need to renew my legal papers. And I cleared my stuff from your desk because I wanted it to look like I was leaving. Plus, I'm getting my own desk. Oh, and I just wanted to hear you admit that you need me." Castle said with a smug grin on his face.

"You ass!" Beckett started punching him.

"Ow, that actually hurts." Castle whimpered.

"Serves you right." Beckett grumbles. She turns to walk away, but Castle grabs her arm to stop her.

"Wait." He pleads.

She pauses, and then turns around to face him with her arms crossed over her chest defensively. "What?"

Castle tilts her chin up with his index finger and looks directly into her eyes, making her go weak in the knees. They gaze into each other's eyes for a while, frozen in the intimate moment together.

"I need you too." He whispers, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on her lips. "I need you too."


End file.
